Toy vehicle playset with stunt loop apparatus
A toy vehicle playset comprises a stunt loop apparatus. The stunt loop apparatus has a support, a partial loop portion coupled to the support, and an arcuate portion rotatably coupled to the support. The partial loop portion has an opening and the arcuate portion is configured to rotate between an inlet position and an outlet position within the opening. By rotating the arcuate portion from the inlet position to the outlet position, a continuous pathway is formed that allows a toy vehicle to sequentially travel along the arcuate portion in the inlet position, the partial loop portion, and then the arcuate portion in the outlet position.
Latest Mattel, Inc. Patents:
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/805,499, filed Feb. 14, 2019, entitled “Toy Vehicle Playset with Stunt Loop Apparatus,” the entire disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention relates generally to toy vehicle track sets and playsets, and in particular, loop apparatuses utilized in such track sets and playsets.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONTrack sets and playsets for toy vehicles are enjoyed by children of all ages. A variety of elements and features have been developed over the years to enhance the amusement and entertainment value of such toy vehicle playsets. One popular feature is the inclusion of a loop track for a toy vehicle to travel along.
While there are numerous toy vehicle track sets and playsets in the art with loop tracks and other stunt features, there is still a need and demand for toy vehicle playsets that provide novel entertainment mechanisms. Embodiments of the present invention provide a toy vehicle playset that allows a toy vehicle to perform a loop without the need for a complete loop track.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIn accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention, a toy vehicle playset is provided that comprises a stunt loop apparatus. The stunt loop apparatus has a support, a partial loop portion coupled to the support, and an arcuate portion rotatably coupled to the support. The partial loop portion has an opening and the arcuate portion is configured to rotate between an inlet position and an outlet position within the opening. By rotating the arcuate portion from the inlet position to the outlet position, a continuous pathway is formed that allows a toy vehicle to sequentially travel along the arcuate portion in the inlet position, the partial loop portion, and then the arcuate portion in the outlet position.
In accordance with other embodiments of the present invention, a toy vehicle playset is provided that comprises a stunt loop apparatus having a support, a partial loop portion coupled to the support, and a rotating arcuate portion coupled to the support. The center of the partial loop portion is the axis of rotation of the arcuate portion. The arcuate portion is further configured to rotate between an inlet position that allows a toy vehicle to enter the stunt loop apparatus and travel along the partial loop portion and an outlet position that allows a toy vehicle traveling along the partial loop portion to exit the stunt loop apparatus.
When the arcuate portion is in the outlet position, the arcuate portion blocks a toy vehicle from entering the stunt loop apparatus. Further, when the arcuate portion is in the inlet position, the arcuate portion blocks a toy vehicle from exiting the stunt loop apparatus. The arcuate portion is configured to rotate from the inlet position to the outlet position in the absence of a toy vehicle on the arcuate portion. The arcuate portion is further configured to rotate from the inlet position to the outlet position while a toy vehicle is traveling along the partial loop portion. The arcuate portion is configured to rotate from the inlet position to the outlet position to receive a toy vehicle that is traveling along the partial loop portion. Furthermore, the stunt loop apparatus is configured to allow a toy vehicle to travel along the partial loop portion in a direction opposite to the direction the arcuate portion rotates from the inlet position to the outlet position. In certain instances, the partial loop portion includes a switch that triggers the arcuate portion to rotate from the inlet position to the outlet position.
In accordance with other embodiments of the present invention, the toy vehicle playset further comprises a housing for retaining one or more toy vehicles. The stunt loop apparatus is movably connected to the housing. The stunt loop apparatus moves between a closed position that blocks the one or more toy vehicles retained in the housing from being released and an open position that allows the one or more toy vehicles retained in the housing to be released. In certain instances, the stunt loop apparatus pivots from the closed position to the open position when a release mechanism in the stunt loop apparatus is triggered by a toy vehicle traveling along the partial loop portion.
In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, a toy vehicle playset is provided that comprises a stunt loop apparatus having a support, a partial loop portion coupled to the support, and an arcuate portion rotatably coupled to the support. The partial loop portion has an opening and the arcuate portion is configured to rotate between an inlet position and an outlet position within the opening. The toy vehicle playset further comprises a housing for releasably storing one or more toy vehicles. The housing is hingedly connected to the stunt loop apparatus such that the stunt loop apparatus pivots between a closed position that blocks the one or more toy vehicles stored in the housing from being released and an open position that allows the one or more toy vehicles stored in the housing to be released. By rotating the arcuate portion from the inlet position to the outlet position, a continuous pathway is formed that allows a toy vehicle to sequentially travel along the arcuate portion in the inlet position, the partial loop portion, and the arcuate portion in the outlet position.
Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description. It is to be understood, however, that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating some embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration and not limitation. Many changes and modifications within the scope of the invention may be made without departing from the spirit thereof, and the present invention includes all such modifications.
Referring now to the drawings in which like reference numbers represent corresponding parts throughout:
A toy vehicle playset according to the present invention includes a stunt loop apparatus that allows a toy vehicle to perform a loop while interacting with the toy vehicle playset.
As described above, the partial loop portion 106 and rotating arcuate portion 108 provide a continuous pathway that allows the toy vehicle 114 to sequentially travel along the arcuate portion 108 in the inlet position B, the partial loop portion 106, and then back onto the arcuate portion 108 in the outlet position E. Thus, a toy vehicle is able to perform a full 360 degrees loop even though the stunt loop apparatus 102 does not include a fixed, complete loop structure.
Furthermore, as shown in
Referring now to
While the arcuate portion 212 is in the inlet position, a toy vehicle launched from launcher 206 can enter the stunt loop apparatus 202 and travel along a track section 220 of the arcuate portion 212 and the partial loop portion 210. The track section 220 of the arcuate portion 212 is concentric to the partial loop portion 210, with the partial loop portion 210 and the track section 220 of the arcuate portion 212 having the same radius of curvature. This configuration or arrangement provides a generally smooth track surface between the partial loop portion 210 and the arcuate portion 212 in both the inlet and outlet positions. Additionally, the straight track segment 204 is positioned tangentially to the arcuate portion 212 so that a toy vehicle traveling on the straight track segment 204 is able to smoothly transition from the straight track segment 204 onto the arcuate portion 212 in the inlet position and also from the arcuate portion 212 in the outlet position back onto the straight track segment 204. Instead of the toy vehicle launcher 206, other apparatuses, mechanisms, and/or track segments may also be connected to the inlet end 222 and/or outlet end 224 of the stunt loop apparatus 202.
When a toy vehicle travels along the partial loop portion 210, the toy vehicle passes through a switch 226 that triggers the arcuate portion latch 218 to release the arcuate portion 212 while it is in the inlet position. The spring 216 causes the arcuate portion 212 to then rotate from the inlet position to the outlet position while the toy vehicle is still traveling along the partial loop portion 210. Thus, the arcuate portion 212 rotates from the inlet position to the outlet position in the absence of a toy vehicle on the arcuate portion 212. The amount of time required for the arcuate portion 212 to rotate from the inlet position to the outlet position is preferably less than or equal to the time required for a toy vehicle to travel along the full length of the partial loop portion 210. By rotating faster than or equal to the time it takes for a toy vehicle to travel along the partial loop portion 210, the arcuate portion 212 is able to receive the toy vehicle when it finishes traveling along the partial loop portion 210. While the arcuate portion 212 is in the outlet position, a toy vehicle traveling along the partial loop portion 210 can then travel back onto the arcuate portion 212 and continue along to the straight track segment 204 to exit the stunt loop apparatus 202.
In one or more embodiments, a user manually moves the arcuate portion against the biasing force of the spring or other biasing member to the inlet position. Other manual or motorized mechanisms may also be used to move the arcuate portion from the outlet position to the inlet position.
In the illustrative embodiment shown in
As shown in
In certain instances, the flapper 308 on the handle 304 is configured to pivot in a single direction away from a default position of being generally perpendicular to the handle 304. By allowing the flapper 308 to pivot, the handle 304 can spin in a specific direction more than 360 degrees and not be obstructed by the protrusion 310 on the arcuate portion 312. In the instant embodiment shown in
In one or more embodiments, the stunt loop apparatus is connected or coupled to additional track elements, mechanisms or apparatuses. For example, in one or more embodiments, the stunt loop apparatus is connected to a toy vehicle housing. In the illustrative embodiment shown in
While the stunt loop apparatus 302 is in the closed position (see, e.g.,
As the toy vehicle 400 travels from the arcuate portion 312 to the partial loop portion 406 of the stunt loop apparatus 302, the toy vehicle 400 passes through a switch 408 on the partial loop portion 406 that triggers the arcuate portion latch 404 to release the arcuate portion 312 (see
Before the toy vehicle 400 travels from the partial loop portion 406 onto the arcuate portion 312 in the outlet position, the toy vehicle 400 passes through a housing latch 410 on the partial loop portion 406 (see
Referring to
In the exemplary implementation shown in
The slots, tunnels, and exits may be any shape or size and allow objects other than toy vehicles to be placed into the housing 316. For example, additional token slots 520, 522 on top of the housing 316 are connected to respective tunnels 524, 526 that lead to exits 528, 530. In keeping with the bank vault theme, a coin-shaped token can be placed in token slot 520 to come out of exit 528 and a flat bill-shaped token can be placed into token slot 522 to come out of exit 530. In other embodiments, the housing may have other combinations of one or more slots/openings, tunnels, and exits.
While the toy vehicle playset 300 is in the stunt configuration (see, e.g.,
In the illustrative embodiment shown in
Also shown in
Although the disclosed inventions are illustrated and described herein as embodied in one or more specific examples, it is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the scope of the inventions and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims.
Moreover, it is to be understood that terms such as “left,” “right,” “top,” “bottom,” “front,” “rear,” “side,” “height,” “length,” “width,” “upper,” “lower,” “interior,” “exterior,” “inner,” “outer” and the like as may be used herein, merely describe points or portions of reference and do not limit the present invention to any particular orientation or configuration. Further, the term “exemplary” may be used herein to describe an example or illustration. Any embodiment described herein as exemplary is not to be construed as a preferred or advantageous embodiment, but rather as one example or illustration of a possible embodiment of the invention.
Finally, various features from one of the embodiments may be incorporated into another of the embodiments. Accordingly, it is appropriate that the appended claims be construed broadly and in a manner consistent with the scope of the disclosure as set forth in the following claims.
Claims
1. A toy vehicle playset, comprising:
- a stunt loop apparatus having a support, a partial loop portion coupled to the support, and an arcuate portion rotatably coupled to the support and positioned concentric with the partial loop portion, the partial loop portion having an opening and the arcuate portion being configured to rotate between an inlet position and an outlet position within the opening;
- wherein rotating the arcuate portion from the inlet position to the outlet position forms a continuous pathway that allows a toy vehicle to sequentially travel along the arcuate portion in the inlet position, the partial loop portion, and the arcuate portion in the outlet position.
2. The toy vehicle playset of claim 1, wherein the partial loop portion includes a switch that triggers the arcuate portion to rotate from the inlet position to the outlet position.
3. The toy vehicle playset of claim 1, wherein the arcuate portion in the outlet position blocks a toy vehicle from entering the stunt loop apparatus and the arcuate portion in the inlet position blocks a toy vehicle from exiting the stunt loop apparatus.
4. The toy vehicle playset of claim 1, wherein the arcuate portion is configured to rotate from the inlet position to the outlet position when the toy vehicle is not present on the arcuate portion.
5. The toy vehicle playset of claim 4, wherein the arcuate portion is configured to rotate from the inlet position to the outlet position while the toy vehicle is traveling along the partial loop portion.
6. The toy vehicle playset of claim 5, wherein the arcuate portion is configured to rotate from the inlet position to the outlet position to receive the toy vehicle traveling along the partial loop portion.
7. The toy vehicle playset of claim 1, wherein the stunt loop apparatus is configured to allow the toy vehicle to travel along the partial loop portion in a direction opposite to the direction the arcuate portion rotates from the inlet position to the outlet position.
8. The toy vehicle playset of claim 1, further comprising:
- a housing for retaining one or more toy vehicles, the stunt loop apparatus being movably connected to the housing;
- wherein the stunt loop apparatus moves between a closed position that blocks the one or more toy vehicles retained in the housing from being released and an open position that allows the one or more toy vehicles retained in the housing to be released.
9. The toy vehicle playset of claim 8, wherein the stunt loop apparatus pivots from the closed position to the open position when a release mechanism in the stunt loop apparatus is triggered by the toy vehicle traveling along the partial loop portion.
10. A toy vehicle playset, comprising:
- a stunt loop apparatus having a support, a partial loop portion coupled to the support and having an opening that extends between an inlet of the partial loop portion and an outlet of the partial loop portion, and a rotating arcuate portion coupled to the support, wherein a focal point of the partial loop portion is an axis of rotation of the arcuate portion,
- wherein the arcuate portion configured to rotate between an inlet position that allows a toy vehicle to enter the stunt loop apparatus and travel along the partial loop portion and an outlet position that allows the toy vehicle traveling along the partial loop portion to exit the stunt loop apparatus.
11. The toy vehicle playset of claim 10, wherein the partial loop portion includes a switch that triggers the arcuate portion to rotate from the inlet position to the outlet position.
12. The toy vehicle playset of claim 10, wherein the arcuate portion in the outlet position blocks a toy vehicle from entering the stunt loop apparatus and the arcuate portion in the inlet position blocks a toy vehicle from exiting the stunt loop apparatus.
13. The toy vehicle playset of claim 10, wherein the arcuate portion is configured to rotate from the inlet position to the outlet position when the toy vehicle is not present on the arcuate portion.
14. The toy vehicle playset of claim 13, wherein the arcuate portion is configured to rotate from the inlet position to the outlet position while the toy vehicle is traveling along the partial loop portion.
15. The toy vehicle playset of claim 14, wherein the arcuate portion is configured to rotate from the inlet position to the outlet position to receive the toy vehicle traveling along the partial loop portion.
16. The toy vehicle playset of claim 10, wherein the stunt loop apparatus is configured to allow the toy vehicle to travel along the partial loop portion in a direction opposite to the direction the arcuate portion rotates from the inlet position to the outlet position.
17. The toy vehicle playset of claim 10, further comprising:
- a housing for retaining one or more toy vehicles, the stunt loop apparatus being movably connected to the housing;
- wherein the stunt loop apparatus moves between a closed position that blocks the one or more toy vehicles retained in the housing from being released and an open position that allows the one or more toy vehicles retained in the housing to be released.
18. The toy vehicle playset of claim 17, wherein the stunt loop apparatus pivots from the closed position to the open position when a release mechanism in the stunt loop apparatus is triggered by the toy vehicle traveling along the partial loop portion.
19. A toy vehicle playset, comprising:
- a stunt loop apparatus having a support, a partial loop portion coupled to the support, and an arcuate portion rotatably coupled to the support, the partial loop portion having an opening and the arcuate portion being configured to rotate between an inlet position and an outlet position within the opening; and
- a housing for releasably storing one or more toy vehicles, the housing hingedly connected to the stunt loop apparatus such that the stunt loop apparatus pivots between a closed position that blocks the one or more toy vehicles stored in the housing from being released and an open position that allows the one or more toy vehicles stored in the housing to be released;
- wherein rotating the arcuate portion from the inlet position to the outlet position forms a continuous pathway that allows a toy vehicle to sequentially travel along the arcuate portion in the inlet position, the partial loop portion, and the arcuate portion in the outlet position.
20. The toy vehicle playset of claim 19, wherein the stunt loop apparatus pivots from the closed position to the open position when a release mechanism in the stunt loop apparatus is triggered by the toy vehicle traveling along the partial loop portion.
1527006 | February 1925 | O'Reilly |
1723656 | August 1929 | Palmigiano, Jr. |
2756687 | July 1956 | Fields |
3209491 | October 1965 | Roeper |
3600849 | August 1971 | Faller |
3633308 | January 1972 | Yang |
4203247 | May 20, 1980 | Moe |
4312149 | January 26, 1982 | Iwao |
4394961 | July 26, 1983 | Muller |
4516953 | May 14, 1985 | Hippely |
4564197 | January 14, 1986 | Lambert |
5102133 | April 7, 1992 | Chilton |
5174569 | December 29, 1992 | Ngai |
5299969 | April 5, 1994 | Zaruba |
5899789 | May 4, 1999 | Rehkemper |
6358112 | March 19, 2002 | Lambert |
6478654 | November 12, 2002 | Rehkemper |
6676480 | January 13, 2004 | Sheltman |
6783419 | August 31, 2004 | Paukert |
7549906 | June 23, 2009 | Bedford |
7614931 | November 10, 2009 | Nuttall |
7690964 | April 6, 2010 | Nuttall |
7794301 | September 14, 2010 | Ostendorff |
7819720 | October 26, 2010 | Nuttall |
7901266 | March 8, 2011 | Ostendorff |
8298038 | October 30, 2012 | O'Connor |
8567690 | October 29, 2013 | De La Torre |
8870623 | October 28, 2014 | Ferreyra |
8876572 | November 4, 2014 | Martino |
8876573 | November 4, 2014 | O'Connor |
8944339 | February 3, 2015 | Ostendorff |
8944881 | February 3, 2015 | Payne |
8951091 | February 10, 2015 | Payne |
8986068 | March 24, 2015 | Jourdian |
9314704 | April 19, 2016 | Ostendorff |
9421473 | August 23, 2016 | Ostendorff |
9452366 | September 27, 2016 | Schmid |
9457284 | October 4, 2016 | Ostendorff |
9707489 | July 18, 2017 | Nuttall |
10213702 | February 26, 2019 | Lennon |
10493369 | December 3, 2019 | Schmid |
10596476 | March 24, 2020 | Ostendorff |
10653972 | May 19, 2020 | Welby |
20030224697 | December 4, 2003 | Sheltman |
20050287915 | December 29, 2005 | Sheltman |
20100123017 | May 20, 2010 | O'Connor |
20100273390 | October 28, 2010 | O'Connor |
20110086574 | April 14, 2011 | Nuttall |
20120309263 | December 6, 2012 | Lennon |
20130231028 | September 5, 2013 | Ostendorff |
20160310857 | October 27, 2016 | Effler |
Type: Grant
Filed: Feb 10, 2020
Date of Patent: Feb 7, 2023
Patent Publication Number: 20200261816
Assignee: Mattel, Inc. (El Segundo, CA)
Inventors: Gabriel De La Torre (Los Angeles, CA), Alex Au (Kowloon)
Primary Examiner: Alexander R Niconovich
Application Number: 16/785,836